Tesco Success With AR Innovations

February 2015

Tesco Digital Innovation and Augmented Reality Software

The Digital age presents an endless list of possibilities for any organisation or business sector. With potential to incorporate digital technology such as Augmented Reality (AR), within the standard brick-and-mortar purchase activities, business owners are increasingly wondering just how much is new technology influencing consumer purchasing decisions?

The world's second largest retailer Tesco, for example, has been experimenting with digital technology and Augmented Reality Software to maintain success in an ever-growing digital environment. With online retail giants becoming a huge threat to physical outlets, it is important for brands such as Tesco to be proactive in how they approach the growing eCommerce market. In addition to this, they will also need to be innovative in the way technologies are utilised and identify how they will continue to implement promotional strategies beyond the point of purchase.

In-Store Innovation

The creation of an incredible in-store experience for customers should always be one of the primary goals for any retail outlet. Tesco, for one, has been able to perfect their store presence using a variety of technologies, from cameras that detect when products need to be replenished, to the elimination of a checkout line via mobile scanners. Tesco's main goals are two-fold: customer convenience, combined with employee empowerment.

While this seems to do the trick for those pushing around a trolley or filling their basket as they maneuver around the store, what about the people who do not have the ability, time or desire to make a trip to Tesco?

Digital Innovations Beyond The Store

In the early days of digital innovation, one of Tesco’s initial innovations was rolled out in a South Korean subway in 2011. Through the use of specialized walls, subway travellers were invited to easily scan various items, fill a virtual cart and arrange a delivery to their own home. This was the perfect solution for the vast amount of individuals who travelled to work via public transport and enabled people to simply do their shopping while waiting for their train home.

A similar principle was then designed to create a virtual store for customers at airports. Through the use of a virtual kiosk, people were able to scan their desired products and get them delivered whilst they’re on the way home. Tesco has managed to apply one simple idea in the previously mentioned innovations – convenience.

Tesco Introduce Augmented Reality Software

Tesco continued to improve their digital concepts by bringing the store as close to home as possible. The Tesco Discover app was introduced, after nine months of research and development, to combine immersive, interactive experiences with real life situations. Via print and GPS material, the platform provides valuable product information and useful tools for shoppers.

The initial experience for the Discover app, launched in 2013, was to be used in conjunction with the Tesco Magazine to showcase fully augmented digital content. To date, the app has had over 200,000 active users that average 16 interactions each.

Following it’s huge success, Tesco continued to introduce exciting campaigns, which have been built to use the app, shown below:

The ‘Big Night In’ Campaign

With the introduction of an Augmented Reality experience, The Big Night In campaign offers a whole feast of family friendly entertainment, which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. By scanning one of the physical Big Night In products using the Discover app, a family quiz will come to life on your mobile device. The game includes a host of activities, along with trophies, forfeits and social sharing. Ultimately, the Big Night In brings entertainment home, creating a positive in-house experience and encouraging brand loyalty.

Coca-Cola ‘Let’s Goooal!’ Campaign

Since the original Big Night In experience was such a hit, Tesco have since introduced the Coco-Cola brand, to develop a supplementary Augmented Reality gaming experience in association with the World Cup.

The game, named ‘Let’s Goooal!’ was available for users to get involved through the Big Night In packages. The AR game was also developed to include social media interactions, further encouraging users to engage with the brand. The campaign saw an average interaction time of over 5 minutes, highlighting the impressive impact of the game on Tesco fans and customers.

Spider Man 2 ‘Every Little Hero Helps’ Campaign

Teaming up with Marvel, Tesco generated a Spider-Man 2 themed Augmented Reality game and photo experience. The digital innovation has been marketed across 300 stores to deliver an exciting mobile experience for Marvel fans, and can be accessed through select Spider-Man toys, products, images and in-store POS banners. The campaign, again, has been a huge success, seeing a 75.6% increase in sales for the four weeks the campaign was active.

Augmented Reality Catalogue

On top of an already successful Augmented Reality experience included within the original Tesco catalogue, the brand began to branch out into additional catalogues with their digital expertise. Included within the Home Book, Tesco’s catalogue specializing in home furnishings and accessories, real-size 3D virtual models and informational links were incorporated through the use of the Discover app. By providing the opportunity for customers to view and experience products before they purchase, not only were individuals satisfied but they were also kept entertained.

Tesco Discover displays a versatile, interactive and valuable platform. Through the use of enticing Augmented Reality introductions, consumers can retrieve everything they need to make a well-informed decision. Not only can Augmented Reality increase customer confidence, it also simplifies the shopping experience and solidifies a brand’s eCommerce presence.

Augmented Reality powered experiences are increasingly becoming the norm within a vast number of industries, as the potential is seemingly endless. Areca Design have created effective AR Apps within Automotive, Education, Historic Tours, Reporting and Analytics.

For further information on how Augmented Reality works and how we can help develop a successful AR app to bring your business to life, please contact us today on: 01386 570360, or email us at: designteam@arecadesign.co.uk.